Meaning
Place a bookmark in a book. Pinch something between two fingers. Press a sandwich together. All of these share one core idea: something is held between two things. That is what 挟 means.
Structurally, 挟 combines the hand radical 扌 (a simplified form of 手, "hand") on the left with 夾 on the right. 夾 depicts a person with two smaller figures pressed against both sides — a vivid picture of being squeezed from both directions. The hand radical makes clear that this pressing or sandwiching is a physical, manual action.
Nine strokes, not in the elementary school curriculum — 挟 is a Joyo kanji for advanced learners, placed at JLPT N2. Its reach goes well beyond the physical. You can insert a comment mid-conversation (口を挟む), get trapped between two opposing demands (板挟み), or execute a pincer attack on enemy forces (挟み撃ち). The common thread in all these uses: pressure from two sides.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The on'yomi reading is キョウ (kyō). You won't hear it in everyday conversation — it shows up mainly in formal writing, military terminology, and technical contexts.
- 挟撃 (kyōgeki) — pincer attack, strike from both flanks
- 挟持 (kyōji) — holding between; clamping force (used in engineering and formal written contexts)
- 挟角 (kyōkaku) — included angle; the angle formed between two converging lines or surfaces
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
In daily speech, はさむ and はさまる carry most of the load. They share a root but split on transitivity: はさむ is active — you deliberately sandwich something; はさまる is intransitive — something ends up caught between things, often by accident.
- 挟む (hasamu) — to sandwich, to put between, to pinch
- 挟まる (hasamaru) — to get caught between, to become wedged
- 板挟み (itabasami) — caught in a dilemma (literally: "sandwiched between boards")
Common Words & Compounds
Physical / Everyday Actions
- 挟む (hasamu) — to insert, to sandwich, to put between two things
- 挟まる (hasamaru) — to be caught between, to get stuck
- 挟み込む (hasamikomu) — to tuck in, to slip something inside
- 本に栞を挟む (hon ni shiori wo hasamu) — to put a bookmark in a book
Body & Situations
- 板挟み (itabasami) — caught in a dilemma; stuck between two conflicting demands
- 口を挟む (kuchi wo hasamu) — to butt in, to interrupt a conversation
- 疑いを挟む (utagai wo hasamu) — to harbor doubts, to leave room for suspicion
Military / Strategic
- 挟撃 (kyōgeki) — pincer attack, double envelopment
- 挟み撃ち (hasamiuchi) — flanking attack from both sides simultaneously
Extended / Figurative
- 挟持 (kyōji) — clamping force; holding firmly (technical and formal use)
- 山に挟まれた谷 (yama ni hasamareta tani) — a valley tucked between mountains
Example Sentences
パンにチーズを挟んでサンドイッチを作った。
Pan ni chīzu wo hasande sandoicchi wo tsukutta.
I made a sandwich by putting cheese between the bread slices.
本に栞を挟んでおいた。
Hon ni shiori wo hasande oita.
I slipped a bookmark in to save my place.
指がドアに挟まって痛かった。
Yubi ga doa ni hasamatte itakatta.
My finger got caught in the door — it really hurt.
彼女は髪をヘアピンで挟んだ。
Kanojo wa kami wo heapin de hasanda.
She clipped her hair back with a hairpin.
二人の意見の間に挟まれて困っている。
Futari no iken no aida ni hasamarete komatte iru.
I'm caught in the middle of two clashing opinions and don't know which way to turn.
上司と部下の間で板挟みになった。
Jōshi to buka no aida de itabasami ni natta.
I ended up caught squarely between my boss and my subordinates.
話の途中に口を挟むのはやめてください。
Hanashi no tochū ni kuchi wo hasamu no wa yamete kudasai.
Stop cutting in while someone else is talking.
敵軍を挟み撃ちにする作戦を立てた。
Tekigun wo hasamiuchi ni suru sakusen wo tateta.
They drew up a plan to hit the enemy from both flanks at once.
この件について疑いを挟む余地はない。
Kono ken ni tsuite utagai wo hasamu yochi wa nai.
There is no room for doubt on this matter.
山と山に挟まれた小さな村に住んでいる。
Yama to yama ni hasamareta chīsana mura ni sunde iru.
I live in a small village nestled between two mountains.
Memory Tip
Picture someone squeezing a burger with both hands — buns pressing in from both sides, everything trapped in the middle. That is your image for 挟. The right side of the character, 夾, shows exactly this: a central figure with two smaller ones pressed against each side. Add the hand radical 扌 on the left and you have the action: physically sandwiching something between two forces.
When the physical image fades, reach for 板挟み — literally "sandwiched between boards," the go-to Japanese phrase for being trapped between two impossible demands. Same kanji, same pressure, just invisible walls.